Shuffleboard weight



Aug. 19,' 1947. E. H. 'rJoMsLAND 42,425,956

` SHUFFLEBOARD WEIGHT Filed Feb. 19, 194:7

FIG.

, l INVENTOR www ATTCRNEY Patented Aug. 19, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Y t 2,425,966 SHUFFLEBOARD WEIGHT Eli H. Tjomsland,.Maywood,-N. J. yApplication February 19, 1947, Serial No. 729,596 15 claims. (01.213-128) 1 This invention relates to shuflleboard weights. Weights used Ifor playing shuilieboard are made of metal and must carry some identification in order to distinguish those used by the different teams. The name of he manufacturer of the shuiiieboard is also displayed on the weights. In order to carry the team identification and the manufacturers name in letters that will not wear away when the weights are used over long periods, it has been the practice to make shuiiieboard weights out of castiron. Such weights cannot be held to very close manufacturing tolerances and they have the further disadvantage that they sometimes chip when struck together violently.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved shuiileboard weight constructed in such a Way that identifying letters and the manufacturers name can be permanently displayed without resorting to castletters. With this construction it is practical to make the weight of steel which is machined to size with the resulting advantage that the actual mass can be held within close manufacturing tolerances. Other features of the construction relate to surface contours that permit identifying colors to be applied to' the weight and that protect the color from contact with the players ngers so that the color is not worn away by repeated handling of the weights.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shuiiieboard weight construction which prevents bouncing of a weight when it strikes against another weight during-play. This result is obtained by locating the center of gravity of the weight, and the maximum peripheral diameter of the weight, in a common plane parallel to the shuilleboard so that when' the weight is stopped abruptly, by strikingv another weight, there is no turning moment that will bounce the weight and possibly cause it to upset.

Another object is to provide a shulieboard weight with an improved bottom surface that is hollow ground to give the weight a bearing zone of substantial diameter. Other features of the bottom surface construction relate to the sloping of a portion of the bottom at a slight angle upwardly away from the center region, and to the provision of ridges on the bottom surface of the weight for causing the 'weight to follow a truer course when there are slight irregularities in the surface of the shufiieboard.

Other objects relate to `surface contours of the weight that make .it .easier to hold and more convenient to use. Still other objects, features and advantages of theinvention will appear or be pointed out as the description proceeds.

In the drawing, forming a part hereof, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a shuilleboard weight embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the shuiileboard shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 oi' Fig. 1. i l

Fig. 4 is a bottom .plan view of the shufileboard weight shown in the other figures.

Fig. 1 shows a shuilleboard weight Ill which has a circular horizontal cross section. 'I'he Weight has a top surface I2 that slopes downward to a center recess I3. The downwardly sloping .surface I2 has two annular grooves I5 and I6 which are preferably concentric with the center recess I3. These grooves I5 and I6 have their bottom or side surfaces. or preferably both, coated with colored paint I8 for identifying the-weights. For example, a set of shuilleboardweights embodying this invention may have red paint I8 in the grooves I5 and I6 of the weights for oneteam and yellow paint in the corresponding grooves of the weights for the other team.

The radius of cross section of each of the grooves I5 and I6 is preferably small so that a nger of a person handling the weight does not come in contact with the paint I8. This prevents the paint from being worn away by repeated handling of the weight. The radius of curvature of the cross section oi the grooves I5 and I6 is preferably less than one-half inch; or

if the grooves I5 and I6 are not of segmental cross section, the ratio of the groove width to the groove depth is such that an arc of a circle tangent to the bottom of the. groove and' passing `through the inner and outer top edges of the groove will have a radius of curvature less than one-half inch.

The annular grooves I5 and I3 are merely representative of depressions in the sloping top 'surface I2, and it should be understood that the weight I0 may be made with only one of the groove's I5 and I8, and that the grooves need not be continuous. Where discontinuous grooves are used, the 'radius of curvature of the cross section of the groove is kept small in the same way as with the continuous grooves, and if the grooves are made so short that their length is equal to their width, the cross section can be made with the same contour in all directions.

weight i0 is turned on a lathe, or otherwise ma- Y chined, to produce a bottom shoulder 23 and'to provide a frustro-conical side wall 24 which extends upward from the shoulder 23 and decreases in diameter toward the top surface of the weight.

A disk 28 is placed in the center recess I3l and rests on the bottom shoulder 23. This disk 26 is of substantially the same diameter as the maximum diameter of the center recess I3, that is, theV diameter of the recess at the level of the bottom shoulder 23. The disk 26 is preferably of heavy paper or card board and suiliciently flexible to bend slightly as it passes through the upper part of the center recess I3 where the recess diameter is slightly less than the diameter of the disk. On the disk 26 there is printed an identifying letter, the name of the shuiiieboard manufacturer, or any other desired indicia.

A transparent disk 28, of substantially the same diameter as the disk 26, is pressed into the center recess I3 above the disk 26 to protect the paper disk. This transparent disk 28 is preferably made of thin clear plastic material. It is a feature of the invention that the shoulder 23 is -not far below the top edge of the center recess'.l 3. This feature, in combination with the downward slope of the top surface I2, makes it possible to see the identifying letter on the disk 26 when viewing the disk at considerable distance from the side. However, the shoulder 23 is located far enough below the top edge of the recess I3 so that another weight of the same diameter as th'e weight I cannot touch the surface of the disk 28 when lthe weight I0 runs off the playing surface of the shuiiieboard and another weight rolls or falls against the top of the weight I0. Having other weights strike the disk 28 would damage the disk. 'I'his protection for the disk 28 is obtained by having the top surface ofthe disk 28 below the top of the recess I3 by a distance greater than the depth of a segmentof a circle that passes through the top edges of the recess I3 and that has a radius not less than the minimum radius of the peripheral surface 35.

The extent of undercut of th'e side of the center recess I3 depends upon the kind of material used for the transparent disk 28, or for the indica-carrying disk 26, if no overlying transparent disk is used. The slopeof the side of the center recess I3 should be suihcient, in relation to the stiiness of the disks, to prevent the disks from falling out when the weight is held upside down.

The weight III has a bottom surface comprising a concave hollow ground center region 30 and an upwardly sloping annular region surrounding the hollow ground region 30 and merging with the region 30 in a smooth curve. The hollow ground region 30 is circular and concentric with the axis of the weight. lIt has a diameter which is preferably of the order of from three-quarters 4 runners, th'at cooperate with the wax on the shuilleboard surface to make the weight follow a truer course. It has been found in practice, that the center recess I3 provides a convenient depression in which a player can place his index finger or thumb for obtaining a. grip on the weight that further facilitates the sliding of the weight along a true course on the board.

When attempts have been made to obtain a plain bottom surface for shuilleboard weights of the prior art, unavoidable manufacturing tolerances have often produced irregularities giving the weights only point contact with the board, and such weights tend to'follow any grooves which exist in the shuilleboard, and to wear grooves in the board.

In order to prevent possible bouncing of the weight, and resulting tipping over or rolling olf the board, the weight I 0 has a peripheral surface of convex section which is exaggerated in the drawing for a clearer illustration. This convex surface 35 is of maximum diameter at the level of a plane 31 which passes through the center of gravity of the weight. Because of the downwardly sloping top surface I2, and the center recess I3, the center ofv gravity of the weight I0 is at a level substantially more than one-half way down from the top edge of the peripheral inch to one inch. The upwardly sloping annular region preferably' makes an angle of about 1 with the surface of the sh'ufeboard when the weight is at rest on the board. The angle of this sloping region is exaggerated in the drawing for clearer illustration.

When at rest, the weight contacts with the shuiileboard around a circular line or zone corresponding to the circle around which the hollow ground center region 30 merges into the annular region. When the weight is moving along the surface of the shuleboard, there is a, tendency for the weight to rock forward slightly so that its contact with. the shuflieboard is along a radial region extending from the hollow ground region 30 to the front of thel weight. The bottom surface of the weight is provided with substantially radial grind lines 33, indicated in Fig. 4. These lines are a medium grind and provide, in effect,

surface 35. When the weight I0 strikes a similar weight during a shufileboard game, the point of contact of the two weights is on the plane 31 and since the center of gravity of the weight is directly behind the point pf contact in the direction of motion, there is no momentum tending to overturn the weight, and the entire reaction from* the impact is parallel to the surface of the shufeboard.

In the preferred construction of the weight I0,

the'peripheral surface 35 is made rough so that the weight will not tend to slip out of a players hand when picked up by ngers that may be wet with perspiration. This roughened surface is produced by grit blasting the surface 35.

The weight is preferably made of steel and pack-hardened to a depth of approximately onesixteenth inch after machining. The grind lines 33 are applied to the bottom of the weight before hardening, put the grit blasting to roughen the peripheral surface 35 is preferably done after the weight has been case-hardened.

The Weight ismade with a curve 40 joining the peripheral surfacewith the upwardly sloping region 3l of the bottom. This curve 40 around the bottom edge of the weight preferably has a radius of the order of one-eighth inch; and a similar curve 4I, preferably of smaller radius, is provided at the upper end of the peripheral surface 35 for joining that surface with the downwardly sloping top surface I2;

Changesand modifications can be made in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, 'and it will be understood thatsome features of the construction can be used alone or in different combinations without departing from the invention as defined in the claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A shuiileboard weight having a center recess, a top wall sloping downward to said recess, open indentations in the sloping top Wall and around the center recess, and pigments on the side surfaces of the open indentations. e

2. A shuflleboard weight having a top wall with a center recess and an annular area that slopes downward toward the recess around the entire periphery of said recess and across the major aesaeee portion of thel topwall between the recess and the outer limits of said top wall, an indentation in the sloping area of the top wall with a cross section in at least one direction having an effective radius of curvature not greater than onehalf inch, and paint on the surface of the indentation for identifying the weight.

3. A shuiileboard weight having a4 top wall that slopes downwardly toward its center over Ia substantial area of said wall, a recess at the upward from the bottom of the recess, and identifying disk means held in place at the bottom of the recess by engagement with said side walls.

5. A shuilieboard weight having a top surface, a recess in the top surface with a drill point cavity at the bottom of the recess, said cavity comprising a depression with a bottom surface sloping downward to a center point, an annular supporting shoulder around the drill point cavity.v

and an indicia-bearing disk supported by said shoulder andbridging the drill point cavity.

6. A shuifieboard weight having a top surface that slopes downwardly to` a center region, a recess at the center region including a drill point cavity, said cavity comprising a depression with abottom surface sloping downward to a center point, an annular shoulder surrounding the drill point cavity, a frustro-conical side extending upward from said shoulder to the top surface and of decreasing diameter toward the top of the recess, an indicia-bearing disk supported by the shoulder and covering the drill point cavity, and a transparent plastic disk overlying the indicia-bearing disk and retained in the recess by the inward slope of the side wall of the recess.

7. A metalshuiiieboard weight having a top wall in which there is a recess having a side wall that slopes inward to give the recess ,a progressively decreasing diameter toward the top, and an identifying disk supported by the bottom of the recess and retained in place by the slope of the side wall of the recess.

8. A shuileboard weight having a side wall, a bottom surface with a center region of concave contour surrounded by a frustro-conical surface of substantial radial extent and that merges with the concave region with a smooth' curve, said frustro-conical surface merging with the side wall in a round corner.

9. A shuiiieboard weight having a side wall. a bottom surface with a hollow ground center region and an annular region surrounding the hollow ground center region and at least a portion of which is frustro-conical and slopes upward toward the side wall and at an acute angle to a board on which the weight rests.

10,'A shuiileboard weight having a bottom surface with grindlines of medium grind extending substantially radially from the center region of the surface so as to provide low ridges extending in substantially the direction of travel of the weight at the front thereof for cooperation with wax on the surface of a shufiieboard. 1

Y 6 11. A shufileboard weight of cylindrical cross section and having a bottom surface that has a concave center region comprising an area withA `a radius equal to at least one-quarter of the lradius of the weight, an annular Aregion surrounding the center region and having an upward slope toward the periphery of the weight, and radial grind lines on the bottom surface of the weight over at least the area of the annular region that slopes upward toward said periphery.

12. vA cylindrical shufiieboard lweight having a peripheral surface, and having a bottom surface with a concave center region on the bottom surface surrounded by an annular area that slopes upwardly at a slight angle toward the periphery of the weight and that meets the concave center region/of the bottom in a. curve, a rounded bottom edge connecting the peripheral surface with the bottom surface, and grind lines, a medium grind,

over substantially the entire bottom surface ofI the weight.

13. A steel shuflleboard weight of-cylindrical shape and having a peripheral surface rough- `ened by circumferentially extending ridges for preventing the weight from slipping outl of a players grip in an axial direction while leaving the peripheral surface free to slide from the players ngers when the weight is being projected along a shuiiieboard.

14. A shuiiieboard weight of cylindrical shape and having a center recess and a top surface that slopes downwardly to said center recess so that the center of gravity of the weight is below the mid-point of the axis of the weight. and a peripheral surface of convex contour in the direction of its axial extent, and of maximum diameter in a plane that is normal to the axis of the weight and that extends through the center of gravity of said weight.

15. A shufiieboard weight having a peripheral surface and having a top surface with a round recess in said top surface, an identification disk supported from the bottom ofthe recess, the

depth of said recess being sufficient to locate the top surface of the disk below the top edge of the recess by a distance greater than the depth of a segment of a circle that passes through the top edges of the recess and that has a radius equal to the minimum radius of the peripheral surface of the weight so that the disk cannot be touched by a similar shuiiieboard weight that strikes against the top surface atthe upper end-of said recess.

ELI H. TJOMSLAND.

nsFnanNoss CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED sTATss PATENTS Number Name f Date 1,963,382 Reichard June 19, 1934 483,895 Buchley Oct. 4,' 1892 1,155,273 Quaite Sept. 28, 1915 2,159,966 Dunham May 30, 1939 1,368,401 Kettle Feb. 15. 1921 2,226,516 Ross Dec. 2 4. 1940 2,253,823 'Suteras Aug. 26, 1941 g FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Great Britain Nov. 80, 1922 

